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French folding postcard map of Verdun and the Meuse River, number 9 from the series %i1%Les Cartes du Front%i0%. Montfaucon is in the upper left and St. Mihiel at the bottom.
Text:
Les Cartes du Front
Verdun et Côtes de Meuse
Echelle 1:32,000
Routes
Chemin de fer
Canaux
Maps of the Front
Verdun and the Hills of the Meuse
Scale: 1:32,000
Roads
Railways
Canals
1. - Les Flandres
2. - Artois, Picardie
3. - Aisne, Champagne
4. - Argonne et Meuse
5. - Lorraine
6. - Vosges et Alsace
7. - Route des Dame et Plateau de Craonne
8. - Région de Perthes
9. - Verdun
10. - Somme et Santerre
11. - Plateau d'Artois
12. - Belgique - Flandres
A. Hatier. Editeur.8.Rue d'Assas, Paris.
Outer front:
Correspondence of the Armies
Military Franchise

French folding postcard map of Verdun and the Meuse River, number 9 from the series Les Cartes du Front. Montfaucon is in the upper left and St. Mihiel at the bottom.

Image text

Les Cartes du Front

Verdun et Côtes de Meuse

Echelle 1:32,000

Routes

Chemin de fer

Canaux



Maps of the Front

Verdun and the Hills of the Meuse

Scale: 1:32,000

Roads

Railways

Canals



1. - Les Flandres

2. - Artois, Picardie

3. - Aisne, Champagne

4. - Argonne et Meuse

5. - Lorraine

6. - Vosges et Alsace

7. - Route des Dame et Plateau de Craonne

8. - Région de Perthes

9. - Verdun

10. - Somme et Santerre

11. - Plateau d'Artois

12. - Belgique - Flandres



A. Hatier. Editeur.8.Rue d'Assas, Paris.



Outer front:

Correspondence of the Armies

Military Franchise

Other views: Larger, Larger, Back

Monday, April 5, 1915

"The ill-fated attack against the St. Mihiel salient began on March 30 [1915] with 73rd Division attacking along the Moselle River. On April 3, XII Corp attacked on its left, then on April 5, VIII and XXXI corps attacked on the left of XII Corps, resulting in pressure along the entire southern face of the salient. Support came from 376 artillery pieces, 107 of which were heavy. The French hoped these sequenced attacks would draw the Germans to the south, making them vulnerable to attacks further north . . .

The French intended to assault one hill in the heights, Les Éparges . . . The attack on the western face of the salient began on April 5, but heavy rain and poor visibility delayed the operation. As visibility improved, scheduled artillery fire began destroying enemy positions and cutting wire at 1100 hours, and the infantry assault began at 1415."

Quotation Context

The French troops attacking at Les Éparges found the preparatory artillery bombardment had created only one break in the German wire defenses. Elsewhere soldiers had to cut their way through the wire, suffering heavy losses.

Source

Pyrrhic Victory; French Strategy and Operations in the Great War by Robert A. Doughty, pp. 144, 145, copyright © 2005 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, publisher: Harvard University Press, publication date: 2005

Tags

1915-04-05, 1915, April, Les Éparges, St. Mihiel, Les Eparges